Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut stated today that the proposed Parent-Carer Law will be presented to members of parliament at the beginning of July, with the first payments expected to be made in October this year.

He stressed that the law concerns parents caring for children with special needs and children suffering from chronic illnesses.

“They will be recognised as parents who have devoted themselves entirely to their child. This is an acknowledgement of parents undertaking an exceptionally demanding role, one that deserves recognition,” Macut told RTS.

The law precisely defines the conditions for obtaining and losing parent-carer status, as well as the procedure for exercising the right. It also envisages the establishment of an electronic register of beneficiaries to ensure more efficient implementation of the legislation.

Draft Parent-Carer Law

“For the purposes of paragraph 1 of this article, a child shall mean a minor who has been granted the increased allowance for assistance and care by another person. (…) The right to parent-carer or carer status, under the conditions laid down by this law, shall be granted to a person who: (…) 8. is not employed or engaged in work on any basis whatsoever (…) and 9. is not a pension beneficiary. The right to parent-carer or carer status shall be granted until the age of 65.”

Because of these provisions, Ana Lakić, the mother of a boy with autism, says that the draft is not only contrary to the Constitution but also highly restrictive, meaning that many people will be prevented from obtaining parent-carer status at all.

“Only recipients of the increased care and assistance allowance are eligible. In practice, that means people with a disability assessed at over 100 per cent, or over 70 per cent on two or more grounds. Everyone else who requires care and assistance is effectively excluded. There are numerous shortcomings. I regret that the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality clearly explained, over ten pages, all the issues that should be taken into account, but unfortunately that has not happened so far,” she said.

She added that it was not only the Commissioner who raised concerns. Numerous associations, informal groups of parents and individual parents were involved in drafting the proposal by submitting comments and objections, yet, she claims, these suggestions were not incorporated into the draft.

One provision that was adopted, however, according to Lakić, is that only close relatives may qualify for this status, despite the fact that in practice it is often a more distant relative who actually provides the necessary care.

(Naissus Info, 22.06.2026)

https://naissus.info/macut-zakon-roditelj-negovatelj-u-julu-pred-poslanicima/